ELECTION CODE

TITLE 1. INTRODUCTORY PROVISIONS

CHAPTER 3. ORDERING ELECTION

Sec. 3.001.  ORDER REQUIRED.  Each general and special election shall be ordered as provided by this chapter.
Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 211, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1986.

Sec. 3.002.  CONFLICTS WITH OTHER LAW.  A law outside this chapter supersedes this chapter to the extent of any conflict.
Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 211, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1986.

Sec. 3.003.  ELECTION ORDERED BY GOVERNOR.  (a)  The governor shall order:
(1)  each general election for officers of the state government, members of the United States Congress, and electors for president and vice-president of the United States;
(2)  each election on a proposed constitutional amendment;  and
(3)  each special election to fill a vacancy in the legislature or in congress.
(b)  The order shall be made by proclamation.
(c)  Not later than the 36th day before election day, a copy of the proclamation ordering an election shall be mailed to the county judge of each county wholly or partly in the territory covered by the election.
Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 211, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1986.

Sec. 3.004.  ELECTION OF POLITICAL SUBDIVISION.  (a)  The following authority shall order an election:
(1)  the county judge, for the general election for officers of the county government;
(2)  the mayor, for the general election for city officers in a city with a population of 1.9 million or more;  and
(3)  the governing body of a political subdivision, other than a county or a city described by Subdivision (2), that has elective offices, for the general election for those officers.
(b)  If a law providing for an election relating to the affairs of a political subdivision does not designate the authority responsible for ordering the election, the governing body of the political subdivision shall order the election.
Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 211, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1986.  Amended by Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 340, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 2001.

Sec. 3.005.  TIME FOR ORDERING ELECTION.  (a)  Except as provided by Subsections (c) and (d), an election ordered by an authority of a political subdivision shall be ordered not later than the 62nd day before election day.
(b)  This section supersedes a law outside this code to the extent of any conflict.
(c)  For an election to be held on a uniform election date, the election shall be ordered not later than the 78th day before election day.
(d)  Except as provided by Subsection (c), an election under Section 26.08, Tax Code, to ratify a tax rate adopted by the governing body of a school district under Section 26.05(g) of that code shall be ordered not later than the 30th day before election day.
Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 211, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1986.  Amended by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 925, Sec. 1, eff. Nov. 1, 2003.
Amended by: 
Acts 2005, 79th Leg., Ch. 1109 (H.B. 2339), Sec. 2, eff. September 1, 2005.
Acts 2009, 81st Leg., R.S., Ch. 1328 (H.B. 3646), Sec. 78, eff. September 1, 2009.
Acts 2011, 82nd Leg., R.S., Ch. 1318 (S.B. 100), Sec. 3, eff. September 1, 2011.
Acts 2015, 84th Leg., R.S., Ch. 84 (S.B. 1703), Sec. 3, eff. September 1, 2015.
Acts 2021, 87th Leg., R.S., Ch. 711 (H.B. 3107), Sec. 7, eff. September 1, 2021.

Sec. 3.006.  CONTENTS OF ELECTION ORDER.  In addition to any other elements required to be included in an election order by other law, each election order must state the date of the election and the offices or measures to be voted on at the election.
Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 211, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1986.

Sec. 3.007.  FAILURE TO ORDER GENERAL ELECTION.  Failure to order a general election does not affect the validity of the election.
Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 211, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1986.

Sec. 3.008.  PRESERVATION OF ELECTION ORDER.  (a)  The authority ordering an election shall preserve the order, proclamation, or other document ordering the election for the period for preserving the precinct election records.
(b)  For an election ordered by an authority of a political subdivision, the date and nature of each election shall be entered in the official records of the political subdivision's governing body.  For an election on a measure, the entry must include a description of the measure.
Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 211, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1986.

Sec. 3.009.  CONTENTS OF DEBT OBLIGATION ELECTION ORDER.  (a)  In this section, "debt obligation" means an issued public security, as defined by Section 1201.002, Government Code, that is secured by and payable from ad valorem taxes.  The term does not include public securities that are designated as self-supporting by the political subdivision issuing the securities.
(b)  The document ordering an election to authorize a political subdivision to issue debt obligations must distinctly state:
(1)  the proposition language that will appear on the ballot;
(2)  the purpose for which the debt obligations are to be authorized;
(3)  the principal amount of the debt obligations to be authorized;
(4)  that taxes sufficient to pay the principal of and interest on the debt obligations may be imposed;
(5)  a statement of the estimated tax rate if the debt obligations are authorized or of the maximum interest rate of the debt obligations or any series of the debt obligations, based on the market conditions at the time of the election order;
(6)  the maximum maturity date of the debt obligations to be authorized or that the debt obligations may be issued to mature over a specified number of years not to exceed the maximum number of years authorized by law;
(7)  the aggregate amount of the outstanding principal of the political subdivision's debt obligations as of the date the election is ordered;
(8)  the aggregate amount of the outstanding interest on debt obligations of the political subdivision as of the date the election is ordered, which may be based on the political subdivision's expectations relative to variable rate debt obligations; and
(9)  the ad valorem debt service tax rate for the political subdivision at the time the election is ordered, expressed as an amount per $100 valuation of taxable property.
Added by Acts 2013, 83rd Leg., R.S., Ch. 554 (S.B. 637), Sec. 1, eff. September 1, 2013.
Amended by: 
Acts 2019, 86th Leg., R.S., Ch. 728 (H.B. 477), Sec. 1, eff. September 1, 2019.